We stayed in a central hotel near to the Padang grounds. Round this area are the Old Supreme Court, the City Hall, the Singapore Cricket Club, St Andrew's Cathedral and other notable colonial era buildings.
Except for some informal games, no cricket matches were being played while we were visiting.
Singapore is in many ways a very orderly culture. Don't even think of crossing a road unless the pedestrian crossing signs allow it. On one afternoon Ann & I decided to sit down in the grounds of the Cathedral, as we noticed others were doing so nearby. Within seconds several people were calling out to us to get up and move on - as we were outside the designated area where you could sit down.
The Japanese do not have a good record during their WWII occupation. This stark memorial commemorates the thousands of innocent civilians who were brutally killed.
A once grand landmark hotel in Singapore, it now lives on its past grandeur. Previously the hotel overlooked the seafront, but now with the city reclaiming so much land, it is an isolated relic surrounded & dwarfed by high rise modern office blocks.
We didn't get our (overpriced) Singapore Sling here. Instead we sipped ours for free, courtesy of Singapore Airlines while cruising at 34,000 ft.
Just by our hotel was this grand Victorian Fire Station.
Previously the site of the Governor's residence, the Fort has a long history and is sited on a commanding hill overlooking central Singapore.
Needless to say that the many Chinese buildings in Singapore were decorated to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
Chinatown was also in festive mood for the New Year celebrations. Unfortunately most of the shops in this area sold just cheap & tacky tourist tat. That said, I did buy a couple of Chinese magic tricks from here.
This building is near one of the "Death Streets" in Chinatown, so named as in times past, poor Chinese people went to die in special hotels as it was considered unlucky for relatives of the deceased if anyone died in their homes.
